Thought for the Day: “In everything you do, put God first. He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” – Proverbs 3:6
I wrote this post over a year ago but I wanted to take a chance to share it again. Enjoy!
I know many people don’t like the idea of new year’s resolutions. I know many people make them and fail within the first 24 hours, the first week, the first month. They are hard to keep and sometimes we allow ourselves to get discouraged and decide that we should start again “tomorrow”.
I however, love new year’s resolutions! New years is a chance to start over, an opportunity to make improvements within the time frame of a year. I like the challenge. I like the list that I can check off of. I find it extremely rewarding.
Today I want to encourage this idea of new beginnings. If you find yourself struggling to keep the resolutions that you have set for yourself, don’t be afraid to modify them. If you fail, don’t be afraid to start over. You don’t have to wait for 2014 to set these goals again.
As I was pondering this idea of new beginnings and resolutions, I was reminded of this song about new beginnings and where my strength for these beginnings comes from. I was reminded about how important it is to slow down despite the business of life to thank the person who is responsible for my existence. I was reminded about the beginning that was called into play by God Himself.
I want to encourage you to make a point to sit down throughout this next year and spend time in silence. Spend time in worship. Spend time in prayer. Spend time in thankfulness to God. For some, this is ideal on a daily basis. For others, it is more practical once a week or a few times a week. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely a hard thing to do because we live busy lives! But I think you will find it extremely rewarding in all areas of your life.
Think about it like this. Lets say you have an empty jar that represents your life.
Each piece of your life takes up a little room in the jar.
For example, if your a student you have rocks that represent homework, classes, and grades. If you are a mom you have rocks for cleaning, cooking, and taking care of your family. If you work, you have rocks to symbolize that. You also have rocks for the hobbies that you enjoy such as scrapbooking, sports, singing, reading, etc.
With all of these responsibilities, it appears as if the jar is full. In fact, seeing all the things that we are involved in might be a little overwhelming. It might even seem that God doesn’t have room at all because there is no more space, or time.
God however isn’t contained to the little rocks in this jar. He is much bigger than that and is involved in multiple areas of your life that are already represented in the jar. If we take water and pour it into the jar, it will fill the spaces that are created between the pebbles.
Now the jar is truly full; it’s completed. Without the water, the jar isn’t finished yet because there are so many holes that still need to be filled. The water touches every pebble just as God touches every aspect of life. Without Him, life cannot be complete.
God has plans for each one of those pebbles. Whether they are happy pieces of life or pieces of brokenness and heartache, God has a way of making all of these pebbles into something beautiful. He knows why each of those pebbles takes up the space that it does.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Remember this as you decide how to spend your time this year. Make sure the pebbles in your jar are put into perspective. Start with the important ones such as family, school, and work. Then, if there is extra room add golf, shopping, video games, etc. And lastly, don’t forget to make your life complete with the water that is essential to life.
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